WHEN the New Year’s Honours list is revealed tomorrow, Coventry charity worker Neville Carpmail should have been among those getting an MBE.

But when the names are unveiled, his won’t be among them.

A letter had been sent out on behalf of the Prime Minister last month, informing him of the award. Sadly, he had died eight months earlier but the Government was unaware he had passed away.

His proud family were delighted that he had been chosen for such a top honour.

But when they informed the Government of his death they were told it meant he was no longer eligible to become a Member of the British Empire.

Neville was nominated for his work as a founder and director of the Coventry City Mission charity.

His brother Graham Carpmail, 61, said he was sad that Neville hadn’t lived to receive the MBE he would have loved.

He said: “Neville was appointed as an MBE for the work he had done with Coventry City Mission over the years and the high esteem in which he was held.

“He was nominated by colleagues three years ago and would have been over the moon to receive the MBE.

“I just want recognition for what he achieved in Coventry.

“I’m incredibly proud of Neville, he was well-known in the city and deserved credit for what he had done.

“I’m gutted he died before he had the chance to accept it.”

Neville, of Keresley, was a Rolls Royce planning engineer for 27 years before he left the job to be full-time director of the Christian charity where he worked for 23 years.

He died, aged 64, of a brain tumour on March 9, leaving his wife Rosalie and two grown-up children.

He told the Telegraph before officially taking up his post with the Mission in 1987: “I’ve been involved with the organisation for over two years, and have increasingly been feeling a calling for God.”

HONOURS policy states the MBE (right) cannot be given posthumously because recipients stop being members of the Empire when they die.

If somebody has already received an MBE and dies, they keep the title.

A Cabinet office spokeswoman said: “We pass on our condolences to Mr Carpmail’s family. The process of deciding who receives an honour does take some time, and unfortunately we were not aware that Mr Carpmail had passed away.”